5 answers
Richard
Student
Garwood, New Jersey
1
Question
Asked
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How should I start reaching out to universities, staff, coaches, etc. about being interested in attending and/or possibly playing sports for them?
I am an upcoming junior who is interested in playing division 3,2, or 1, sports but unsure about how to reach out to these schools/the recruiting process in general.
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5 answers
Paul Goetzinger MPA
Academic and Career Consultant and Freelance Writer
745
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Paul’s Answer
I would reach out to them in the form of an Athletic Resume.
I have done many of these with potential student athletes, and have received responses from coaches that have been very positive.
This resume is very much like a job resume, instead you will be emphasizing your athletic skills, abilities, awards, academic potential and other athletic related topics.
There are several examples of athletic resume's found on the internet. In addition. A good cover letter should be written to the coach outlining your potential, and that you are interested in playing for their team. Many times the coaches may not be aware of you, and a good athletic resume is a way to get their attention and make them aware of your interest in college athletics.
I always instruct students to send the athletic resume through regular postage to the coach at the college. This is because it will land right on their desk. They literally get thousands of emails, and a postal letter is a good way to stand out amongst the emails. I would also consider the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) colleges in your region. There are some excellent opportunities and scholarships in this division as well.
I hope this has been helpful, best of luck with your academic and athletic future.
I have done many of these with potential student athletes, and have received responses from coaches that have been very positive.
This resume is very much like a job resume, instead you will be emphasizing your athletic skills, abilities, awards, academic potential and other athletic related topics.
There are several examples of athletic resume's found on the internet. In addition. A good cover letter should be written to the coach outlining your potential, and that you are interested in playing for their team. Many times the coaches may not be aware of you, and a good athletic resume is a way to get their attention and make them aware of your interest in college athletics.
I always instruct students to send the athletic resume through regular postage to the coach at the college. This is because it will land right on their desk. They literally get thousands of emails, and a postal letter is a good way to stand out amongst the emails. I would also consider the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) colleges in your region. There are some excellent opportunities and scholarships in this division as well.
I hope this has been helpful, best of luck with your academic and athletic future.
Washi Kolluru
I work for a marketing agency
1
Answer
Sammamish, Washington
Updated
Washi’s Answer
Hi,
Talk to the coach at your high school team and find the scouts' emails and send them a message. I recommend using chatgpt to find a good email to send to them but send them clips of you playing and stuff like that.
Talk to the coach at your high school team and find the scouts' emails and send them a message. I recommend using chatgpt to find a good email to send to them but send them clips of you playing and stuff like that.
thanks so much
Richard
Patrecia (Trish) Rosito
Associate Director of Technology
31
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Patrecia (Trish)’s Answer
Hello, what sport are you in? It's never too early to start showcasing your talent. Ideally, you should have begun sharing and promoting your sports videos on social media platforms from your freshman year, if not before.
Now, it's time to focus on your target universities. Investigate their admission requirements such as SAT, ACT, GPA, and so on. Determine if they offer the program, you're interested in. Compile all this information and create a comprehensive list. Familiarize yourself with the coaching staff, both the head coach and the assistants.
Remember, your coach is your ally. Collaborate with them closely. Moreover, consider using Fieldlevel, a popular app among coaches scouting for new talent. It's a great platform to get noticed. Keep striving, your sporting future looks bright!
Now, it's time to focus on your target universities. Investigate their admission requirements such as SAT, ACT, GPA, and so on. Determine if they offer the program, you're interested in. Compile all this information and create a comprehensive list. Familiarize yourself with the coaching staff, both the head coach and the assistants.
Remember, your coach is your ally. Collaborate with them closely. Moreover, consider using Fieldlevel, a popular app among coaches scouting for new talent. It's a great platform to get noticed. Keep striving, your sporting future looks bright!
Thank you!
Richard
Maryta Reyes
customer service representative
2
Answers
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Updated
Maryta’s Answer
Congratulations! It's essential to maintain an updated Twitter account, complete with all your current details. Don't forget to include your Hudl film - it's a crucial part of the process. Be sure to follow your coaches on Twitter, as it's a common platform for them to communicate with players. Stay active and engaged on your account. Wishing you nothing but the best on your journey!
Charles Anderson
Lead Privacy Analyst at AT&T -- Head Soccer Coach, Middle School Girls / Asst HC, High School Girls
32
Answers
Richardson, Texas
Updated
Charles’s Answer
Hey Richard - the NCAA has a few different guidelines based on what sport you are playing, etc. So, I have included some information on dates as well as links to that information. I also included some helpful hints, as a coach and manager for my daughter's competitive soccer team, I have some knowledge on this and wanted to share.
For the most part, most sports can start talking between June 15 and September 1. So, check out the first link in the Next Steps to see where you are at. Hopefully you are good, or almost there, since one of the other dates is August 1st, which is right around the corner.
In the meantime, check out some of the other information, including researching what schools in DI-DIII offer the sport you want to play. Read the NCAA guide for Student-Athletes and register in the NCAA Eligibility Center, as every student athlete has to do that. Side note don't count out NAIA schools/sports either but be mindful they have dates and an eligibility center, as well.
Now that you have read the information, register through the eligibility center, and can talk to college coaches - what's next?
-- When you send emails out to the prospective college coaches, know that you are one of many, many possible hundreds if not thousands of student athletes doing so. My recommendation is to have a highlight film through HUDL, YouTube, etc. However, you don't want to make it too long and if it all possible to show some key moments in the first 30-60 seconds. Remember coaches get 100's-1000's of these and if each one was 2-5 minutes - that's a lot of time just looking at that and not coaching, recruiting, attending camps/showcases, etc. BUT -- ensure that you have the fails in there too and how you recovered. Let's say you are playing soccer or basketball and you make a pass that is intercepted, are you tracking down the ball to stop the attack and or winning it back? No one is perfect and coaches want to see, what you do when you make a mistake and how you react. They want to see the nice saves, shots, etc. too, but how you react to mistakes is also important.
-- You have your video, now you are ready to send an email. Do some research on the school, coach and the team. When you start off the email say something what attracted you to the school. Personalize it with your major, congratulating on a successful season, or how impressed you are with the teams GPA. A lot of that information is on their pages or can be found on the colleges site. If your team is playing in tournaments/showcases, give them your schedule of events and ask them if they plan on attending so you can send them the actual game schedules. If you have a one-page flyer on yourself; name, address, email, social media, phone number, GPA, etc. like a resume that shows you you've played for, what position(s), etc. - that is something to share too, so they have it all on one page.
Unfortunately, not every college or coach out there will be the right fit, whether for you or them. But keep your head up and continue moving forward if this is the direction you want to go in. Move on to another school, take a look at NAIA and or start out with Junior/Community Colleges. Many of my daughters' friends that played baseball started with JC's so they can get prerequisites out for less money and more playing time, since you only usually have freshman through sophomore students there, before you transfer to a NCAA or NAIA school.
Also, remember you are a Student-Athlete, emphasis on student, which is why that word comes first. So, remember to keep up on your studies, tests, etc. in high school as well as in college. Many coaches provide themselves on high GPA for their team, especially when they travel a lot and miss a decent number of classes.
Finally, I want to wish you Good Luck!
Check out this link to see what dates align with your respective sport: https://www.ncsasports.org/ncaa-eligibility-center/recruiting-rules
Next research some schools in DI-DIII: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/5/3/membership-directory.aspx
Check out / read this NCAA guide for Student-Athletes: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf
Read additional info and register in the NCAA Eligibility Center: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/8/student-athletes-future.aspx
Get your video, one page and personalized email set to send to the college coaches
For the most part, most sports can start talking between June 15 and September 1. So, check out the first link in the Next Steps to see where you are at. Hopefully you are good, or almost there, since one of the other dates is August 1st, which is right around the corner.
In the meantime, check out some of the other information, including researching what schools in DI-DIII offer the sport you want to play. Read the NCAA guide for Student-Athletes and register in the NCAA Eligibility Center, as every student athlete has to do that. Side note don't count out NAIA schools/sports either but be mindful they have dates and an eligibility center, as well.
Now that you have read the information, register through the eligibility center, and can talk to college coaches - what's next?
-- When you send emails out to the prospective college coaches, know that you are one of many, many possible hundreds if not thousands of student athletes doing so. My recommendation is to have a highlight film through HUDL, YouTube, etc. However, you don't want to make it too long and if it all possible to show some key moments in the first 30-60 seconds. Remember coaches get 100's-1000's of these and if each one was 2-5 minutes - that's a lot of time just looking at that and not coaching, recruiting, attending camps/showcases, etc. BUT -- ensure that you have the fails in there too and how you recovered. Let's say you are playing soccer or basketball and you make a pass that is intercepted, are you tracking down the ball to stop the attack and or winning it back? No one is perfect and coaches want to see, what you do when you make a mistake and how you react. They want to see the nice saves, shots, etc. too, but how you react to mistakes is also important.
-- You have your video, now you are ready to send an email. Do some research on the school, coach and the team. When you start off the email say something what attracted you to the school. Personalize it with your major, congratulating on a successful season, or how impressed you are with the teams GPA. A lot of that information is on their pages or can be found on the colleges site. If your team is playing in tournaments/showcases, give them your schedule of events and ask them if they plan on attending so you can send them the actual game schedules. If you have a one-page flyer on yourself; name, address, email, social media, phone number, GPA, etc. like a resume that shows you you've played for, what position(s), etc. - that is something to share too, so they have it all on one page.
Unfortunately, not every college or coach out there will be the right fit, whether for you or them. But keep your head up and continue moving forward if this is the direction you want to go in. Move on to another school, take a look at NAIA and or start out with Junior/Community Colleges. Many of my daughters' friends that played baseball started with JC's so they can get prerequisites out for less money and more playing time, since you only usually have freshman through sophomore students there, before you transfer to a NCAA or NAIA school.
Also, remember you are a Student-Athlete, emphasis on student, which is why that word comes first. So, remember to keep up on your studies, tests, etc. in high school as well as in college. Many coaches provide themselves on high GPA for their team, especially when they travel a lot and miss a decent number of classes.
Finally, I want to wish you Good Luck!
Charles recommends the following next steps:
Thanks a lot, this really helped!
Richard